


Our Little World

by theprincessed



Series: Robron Week 2018 [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chores, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Robron Week 2018, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 10:33:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14211255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Robert gets into the routine of ironing Seb's things before Aaron and Gerry arrive home that evening.(Day 1: Home/Domesticity)





	Our Little World

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! I hadn't planned on participating this year but, the night before Robron Week 2018 started, I had this idea and then I wrote for the entire week on the corresponding day lol. I don't recommend doing it like that, but I am proud I finished it all the same.
> 
> This was inspired by the mountains of ironing my dad does to help my sister with my nephews.

Robert never thought he'd get into the domestic way of life, but lots of things have changed in the last few months. Although he's returned to his home, Aaron and Liv (and begrudgingly, Gerry), there's also Seb. Since his son moved to the Mill, he'd had to give up the helping hand that Vic had always offered for even the simplest tasks. Now Seb's day to day is up to him. It warms his heart when Aaron and also Liv wants to muck in, but there is one chore they sneakily shake off – washing and ironing.

The first week of Seb's permanence, Robert learnt just how much washing and ironing a newborn could create without lifting a finger. Now it made sense why it seemed like Vic was constantly stood listening to music or watching television whilst she did this; anything to cut the monotony, and a month in, Robert thinks he's getting the hang of it. He compiles a routine and takes a keen interest in the weather because their tumble dryer is on the blink and neither he or Aaron have had time to get someone to fix it, so he thinks of Sarah and pegs the washing out in the garden on the days that aren't wet with rain or unexpected unseasonal snow. No one is around to catch him smiling at the tinier set of Seb's babygrows that he's too big to wear anymore. Clean and fresh, he'll give some away eventually but keep one or two somewhere, Diane's voice in the back of his mind warning him with a smile that kids grow up so fast and to cherish every moment.

Today has been blue skies above and Robert pulls another load of washing from the line to start ironing as Aaron and Gerry trail muddily through the door. They usually aren't so grubby and Robert raises an eyebrow, biting his lips together so keep in his laugh.

“Don't ask,” Aaron says gruffly, “I'm going for a shower.”

He disappears upstairs to where Liv already is, trying to keep her head down after her and Gabby's plea hearing. She's probably on her laptop instead of doing any homework, but at least she's safe and he and Aaron can call that a win. Having snuck in a look at his husband's fit retreating form in his work clothes, something that actually gets Robert going, he comes back to reality when Gerry grabs a soft drink from the fridge and carelessly tries to sit against a pile of everyone's collective clothes. Somehow doing Seb's and his own washing has morphed into him doing the odd piece for them all. It'd be annoying if it didn't feel so homely, making warmth and affection usually bloom in his chest.

“Oi, I don't think so!” he warns Gerry now, gesturing wildly.

But he's clueless. “What?” 

“You're filthy!”

“I know, thanks for noticing,” he winks and Robert rolls his eyes, jaw clenched not to fly off the handle. He swears Gerry tests his patience more than his son, but he knows the young man has a good heart.

“Don't sit there,” he explains. “I've just washed those.”

“You're such a dad, mate,” Gerry snorts, but does as he's told and mindfully takes off his dirty boots and bulky hoodie so that the worst of it doesn't get on the other armchair that's available for him to drop into. He looks to be in no hurry to use the main bathroom whilst Aaron is in their bedroom's en-suite. 

It seems Robert will have an audience for his ironing marathon tonight, so he distracts himself from thoughts of his husband naked and soaked to the bone to sort the fresh, clean clothes into heaps of who they belong to then scrolls through Netflix to find an anime to watch. With household stuff to do as he lets Jimmy hold the fort at Home James for a little while longer, he's been getting back into enjoying his anime. Sometimes Aaron joins him despite not being interested, playing around with his phone as he cuddles Robert on the sofa some evenings. Liv calls them married and boring and instead of being offended, they wear matching quiet smiles.

Above their heads, Robert hears Aaron's footsteps and the sound of him checking on his sister before his voice comes through on the baby monitor. Robert forces himself not to look at the grey screen as he's often lost several minutes just watching his husband bond with Seb. Any other interruption over the top of his action-packed anime might be irritating, but makes Robert grin at the realisation that his family is finally under one roof. If he believed in it, it feels like fate.

Picking up one of Aaron's t-shirt, he stands behind the ironing board and lets Aaron's soft whisper to Seb wash over him until there's silence again from the monitor and Aaron descends the spiral staircase in another t-shirt and comfy jogging bottoms. Barefoot and hair fluffy, Robert tenses his arm on top of the iron as he smoothly runs it over the garment underneath, the hiss and whoosh of the steam oddly calming, but Aaron ruins it by coming up to his back and wrapping his arms around Robert's waist, kissing the shoulder of his shirt.

“Is he alright?” he asks, always wondering.

“I think he's past help,” Aaron jokes, nodding at Gerry picking at an errant crisp from the folds of his t-shirt, the big bag he got from the kitchen when Robert was too busy caught up in house and home. “Nah, he's good. Just wanted to see his Aaron, innit?”

Robert stops ironing for a moment to breathe and lean into Aaron's touch. “I tried to keep him awake until you were home, but you know what he's like once he's had his bottle.”

Aaron murmurs in relaxed agreement, squeezes Robert's hips and moves away, shifting dungarees and a random coat that should be hung by the door to sit on the buried sofa, drawing his knees up. Robert is in the way of the television, but he senses Aaron doesn't mind as he kicks lightly at his arse to get him to carry on. He laughs and wiggles, lets Aaron take his fill because it's been an insufferable day apart.

“Want to do something tomorrow?” Aaron suggests after the room is just the sound of the iron, the anime and Gerry's crisps crunching. “Something that isn't washing or ironing or any of this boring stuff,”

“It's not boring,” Robert defends automatically, before he realises he means it. He really is a new man in some ways. “It can be relaxing y'know. Just stick on some motorbike building show and find out,”

“Can't wait,” Aaron quips, deadpan.

If they have to swap some days so Robert can fulfil a meeting in the diary and he comes home to Aaron doing exactly that, it's their little secret.

“Let's go for lunch outside the village, all of us.” he decides after some thought. “Make the most of a dry day before it turns cold for the third time this month.”

“Is that your weather app again?” Aaron groans, letting his head fall back on the sofa, a t-shirt with a monkey on the front thanks to their trip to the zoo in his hand. He's a big softie really.

“You're the first to complain in a downpour,” Robert chuckles, arranging items he's ironed pristinely onto the clothes horse nearby.

“Speaking of complaining, I'm knackered.” Aaron stands up, having had enough of being lulled to sleep by his husband. “I had food at Mum's this afternoon and I'm still feelin' it, so I think I might head up. You coming to bed?”

Robert nods. “In a minute. I'll just finish these.”

Aaron kisses his cheek and ignores Gerry's wriggling suggestive eyebrows to turn for the stairs. Robert races efficiently through the rest of the ironing as tiredness sets into his bones too and leaves the last couple of babygrows for tomorrow. As long as Seb has something cute and sensible to wear for their lunch out, everything else can wait a couple more hours. He tosses the remote to a still wide awake Gerry with the implication to have whatever he wants on as long as it's not too loud, puts the iron and board away then follows his husband.

Aaron is cleaning his teeth when Robert undoes his shirt buttons, wishing he'd put on something easier to take off quickly. He makes himself pull the arms out the right way, but forgoes hanging it up, deciding to wear something different tomorrow.

When they slide into their bed, Aaron sighs gratefully. “Are these - ”

“Our highest thread count,” Robert says smugly, as they settle into the sheets. “I put them on when I made the bed today.”

“I still don't understand why you make the bed every morning. You're only gonna mess it up again when you go to sleep.”

Robert shrugs and scoots closer to Aaron. “Something we all used to do living on the farm. Mum always looked so pleased.”

“Nice.” Aaron hums sleepily.

Before he slips into dreams, Robert leans in and pecks Aaron's mouth. He blinks his eyes open and Robert would feel guilty if Aaron didn't immediately tug him on top of him for a longer kiss, their lips sliding and tongues gliding between a happy breath of contentment, intent on making the most of the intimate darkness; just another day, another night of forever together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


End file.
